Lost in His Arms Read Free Page B

then perhaps Richard would have had to mature and accept more responsibility in their marriage.
    He found himself wondering what other weaknesses she might possess, and that he entertained any kind of interest in her at all irritated him.
    As far as he was concerned, she was the devil in lipstick, a forbidden temptation sent to test his will-power. And yet he couldn’t help but be a bit curious. “So how long have you had a phobia about the dark?” he asked.
    â€œIt isn’t a phobia,” she said, then sighed and raked a hand through her hair, causing it to tumble against his shoulder.
    He stiffened, fighting the urge to reach up and touch a strand, to see if it was as soft, as silky as it looked. “I think the best thing we can do is get some sleep. I’m sure things will look brighter in the morning.”
    â€œSomehow I’m not counting on it,” she said softly.
    They were the last words they spoke to each other that night.
    Talbot tried to make himself comfortable, but the adrenaline that had filled him from the moment he’d realized the plane was going down refused to dissipate enough to allow sleep to overtake him.
    He could tell Elizabeth was also having trouble winding down. She squirmed and wriggled next to him, but never allowed her shoulder to stop touching his. As time passed, her wriggling slowed, and he knew she had fallen asleep when her head lolled to his shoulder and she slumped fully against him.
    His first instinct was to shove her off him. He didn’t want to feel her provocative body warmth against him, didn’t want to smell the faint scent of sweet ripened strawberries that wafted from her hair. But he had to admit her body warmth felt good as the night grew chillier.
    He closed his eyes, willing his body to relax, knowing it was possible he would need all his wits, all his energy to face the morning.
    If they were lucky, they would either be found by somebody who’d seen the plane go down or discover some small town nearby.
    If they were incredibly unlucky, they would find themselves in the middle of a forest with nobody around for miles. And the way their luck seemed to be running, that was what worried him.
    What if he couldn’t walk well enough to find help?
    He smiled wryly. Of course, as competent as Elizabeth had always been, she could probably construct a litter from tree branches and pull him out of the forest. This was the last conscious thought he had before sleep finally claimed him.
    He awoke with the dawn, for a moment completely disoriented. Before he even opened his eyes, his mind worked to orient him. A warm female form was curled up in his arms, and his nose was filled with the scent of strawberries.
    As he drew a deep breath, he remembered. The crash…Elizabeth…the forest. His eyes snapped open and he saw that at some point during the night, their bodies had not only sought the soft, leaf-covered ground, but also each other’s.
    Her face was turned toward his, and he took the opportunity to study her with the glow of dawn seeping through the trees.
    He easily understood why Richard had been so enthralled with her. She was lovely, with sinfully thick lashes and a full, inviting mouth that urged a man to plunder its depths.
    Her skin was the color of a barely browned biscuit, with natural peach in either cheek. As he stared at her, his finger itched to caress the skin on her cheek, lightly touch her slightly plump bottom lip.He wanted her. He’d wanted her for years, and in that desire had been his shame.
    Richard’s wife. Richard’s woman.
    With these disturbing thoughts in mind, he disentangled himself from her and sat up. In doing so, he woke her. She stirred and groaned, then sat up and shoved her lioness-colored hair away from her face.
    â€œOhmigosh. I feel like somebody beat me up all night,” she said as she stood and stretched, arms overhead.
    Talbot frowned, his gaze drawn to her T-shirt, which